Johannesburg – A man was arrested in Tokoza on Friday in connection with the murder of lesbian Duduzile Zozo, Gauteng police said.

The 22-year-old man would appear in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Monday, said police spokesperson Lungelo Dlamini.

“Police had been following up information since her body was found. Several suspects were arrested for questioning and released,” he said.

Dlamini said the man was co-operating with the police.

On 30 June, the half-naked body of 26-year-old Zozo was discovered in Tokoza, Ekurhuleni.

Her mother Thuziwe Zozo reportedly said she suspected her daughter was killed because she was a lesbian.

Dlamini said the police had been following up information since her body was found.

“A toilet brush was inserted into her vagina. It is suspected that she died of strangulation,” he said.

– SAPA

Cape Town – The correctional services department must take immediate steps to take both national and regional demographics into account when setting equity targets, the Labour Court in Cape Town ruled on Friday.

This was applicable at all levels of the department’s work force.

Judge Hilary Rabkin-Naicker ruled in favour of 10 Western Cape Correctional Service officials who had challenged the department’s employment equity plan.

Initially five officials challenged the department and they were followed by another five, who had been overlooked for promotion on racial grounds.

Trade union Solidarity, which took up the matter on behalf of the 10, said in a statement earlier that coloured employees were disadvantaged by the use of national demographics in the implementation of affirmative action targets.

The judge ruled that all 10 officials were black employees in terms of the Employment Equity Act.

He found that they had suffered unfair discrimination in the selection process used for promotion to various posts.

Solidarity deputy general secretary Dirk Hermann said in the earlier statement: “In terms of the DCS’s affirmative action plan, the national demography has to be reflected in every workplace, even at a provincial and regional level.

“As a result, in the Western Cape, coloured employees, in particular, almost have no chance anymore to be promoted or appointed.”

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The IFP will fight to keep control of Nongoma in KwaZulu-Natal in next week’s by-elections, party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said on Friday.

“We enter three by-elections on Wednesday, fighting for all we’re worth to keep Nongoma free and to keep the voice of Nongoma audible above the fury of empty promises and empty slogans from the ANC,” he said in a statement.

“We have a relationship of trust in Nongoma, built over years of toiling together for the benefit of our people.”

Buthelezi accused the ANC of trying to buy votes in the area, especially in ward five, by distributing food parcels, fences, and irrigation systems.

“They effectively gave the people what already belongs to the people, for they used money that is already earmarked for delivering services… this was not the ANC delivering it was government doing what it’s meant to do,” he said.

The ANC in the province denied this.

“They [IFP] always say that we issue food parcels to buy votes, it’s a recycled attack,” ANC provincial spokesperson Senzo Mkhize said.

“We’re not buying any votes, people are not stupid but we will not stop providing services in areas because elections are coming.”

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Service delivery protests in Missionvale, Port Elizabeth, and Cookhouse, near Cradock, were under control on Friday afternoon, Eastern Cape police said.

“Earlier this morning [residents] were throwing stones at police,” said police spokesperson Alwin Labans said.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse them.

“The situation is under control,” he said around 15:00.

They burnt tyres and blocked roads to express their dissatisfaction with the rate of housing delivery and other services.

No one had been arrested, Labans said.

In a separate protest, residents of Cookhouse set a municipal building alight on Thursday around 21:00, said spokesperson Stefanie Smith.

“About… 600 dissatisfied community members took to the streets and started stoning the municipality building to express their alleged dissatisfaction [with municipal services].”

The protesters later set the building alight, set fire to a tractor tyre under a railway bridge on the R63, which disrupted traffic, and stoned a police car.

“Today everything is under control. Local police are monitoring the situation,” Smith said.

A case of public violence was being investigated, but no one had been arrested.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The ANC can retake the Western Cape, the ANC Youth League said on Friday.

“It is possible for the ANC to take back the Western Cape,” ANC Youth League president Mzwandile Masina told reporters at a media briefing in Johannesburg.

“We have a number of people in the province doing work… We should have no less than 5 000 people stationed there [soon],” he said.

The ANCYL national task team also called for a speedy conclusion to the case involving the National Youth Development Agency’s (NYDA) former CEO Steven Ngubeni.

He was dismissed earlier this month after the NYDA board found him guilty of seven charges of financial misconduct following a disciplinary inquiry.

Ngubeni said he would challenge the dismissal in court.

He said the board’s decision was unfair and that he would present his side of the story.

“We have noted with sadness the shenanigans within the NYDA, and we call for a speedy conclusion regarding the case involving the CEO of the board,” said ANCYL task team co-ordinator Makasela Mzobe.

‘Mickey Mouse’ parties

The national task team also commented on the launch of former ANCYL leader Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on Sunday.

Masina said the ANCYL would not tolerate “Mickey Mouse” parties which continued to undermine the ANC.

“We must build on the foundation of our presidents [Nelson] Mandela, [Thabo] Mbeki, and Zuma,” Masina said.

“The programme of economic freedom will be delivered in our lifetime by the ANC. Sound bites don’t build policies.”

The team said parties like the EFF and movements such as Red October worked against the country’s vision of a rainbow nation.

“Let us minimise divisions against [racial] lines,” the team urged, and said people like Malema were “blowing hot air”.

Last Thursday a call was made, via various social networks, for people to join a march against the oppression of and violence against white South Africans.

The movement was called “Red October”.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Trade union Solidarity will appeal certain aspects of the judgment in a correctional services affirmative action case, it said on Friday.

The judge had not dealt with certain constitutional issues, deputy general secretary Dirk Hermann said in a statement

“We can’t expect the Labour Court to pass judgment on important constitutional matters and, therefore, we still want to go to the Constitutional Court.

“This victory is significant, but it’s not the end of the road,” he said.

The Labour Court in Cape Town ruled on Friday that the correctional services department take immediate steps to take both national and regional demographics into account when setting equity targets.

This was applicable at all levels of the department’s work force.

Judge Hilary Rabkin-Naicker ruled in favour of 10 Western Cape correctional service officials who had challenged the department’s employment equity plan.

Initially, five officials challenged the department.

They were followed by another five who had been overlooked for promotion on racial grounds. Solidarity took up the matter on behalf of the 10.

The union said it was making the necessary arrangements to appeal.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) expressed outrage on Friday at the killing and raping of children in Diepsloot and elsewhere in the country.

“It is with great sadness that we experience yet another rape and murder of children,” the organisation said in a statement.

“It should be noted that this happens at the time when the CGE has taken measures to ensure that there is public awareness… of gender-based violence in our society.”

It welcomed the arrests in Diepsloot.

“[We] applaud the police for moving swiftly in arresting the alleged perpetrator and believe justice would be served. The CGE will closely monitor the case as part of its internal mandate.”

On Tuesday, Diepsloot residents took to the streets after the bodies of 2-year-old Yonelisa Mali and her 3-year-old cousin Zandile Mali, were discovered in a communal toilet. They had been reported missing at the weekend.

Four men appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Friday on charges of rape and murder. The case was postponed to Thursday for the men to apply for legal aid. A fifth man, who was arrested early Friday morning in Alexandra, will appear on Monday.

The girls’ funeral will be held on Saturday.

Katlehong mom in court

In a separate case, on Wednesday, Katlehong residents found two toddlers, aged 1 and 3, dead in a field near Zonkizizwe. Their mother, Esther Moyana, faces two charges of murder for allegedly poisoning them.

She initially told police that her husband had abandoned her and the children in the veld on Tuesday, while on their way from Witbank to Johannesburg.

She claimed he left them with cooldrink, which they drank on Tuesday night. When she woke in the morning, the children were dead.

Police said there appeared to be discrepancies in Moyana’s story.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – The director of forensic services at auditing firm SizweNtsalubaGobodo was shot dead at the company’s office in Houghton, Johannesburg, on Friday morning, the company said.

The company named him as Lawrence Moepi, and said the firm would do everything in its power to aid the police’s investigation into his killing.

According to a statement on the firm’s website, Moepi had worked closely with the police’s commercial crime unit and the now defunct Directorate of Special Operations, known as the Scorpions.

In his capacity as PricewaterhouseCoopers forensic services director Moepi testified in the fraud trial of former Scorpions official Geoffrey Ledwaba.

Constable Ndivhuwo Mulamu confirmed a man was shot dead in the area but could not immediately provide further details.

ENews Channel Africa reported that Moepi was followed to his workplace by men in a VW Golf and shot dead as he got out of his car on Friday morning.

Police were investigating the motive as nothing was stolen from Moepi.

Business Day Live reported that he had been appointed to work on the probe into the country’s multi-billion rand arms deal.

SizweNtsalubaGobodo executive chair Nonkululeko Gobodo praised Moepi.

“Lawrence was an inspirational leader and his insight, wisdom, and talent will be sorely missed,” he said in a statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this extremely difficult time.”

– SAPA

Pic: (A graphic picture of the alleged rapist)

By Obakeng Maje
Kimberley- Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit are investigating a Kidnapping and rape which allegedly took place on Friday, 13 September 2013 at approximately 23:00pm.
The complainant alleges she was from a tavern at Knight Street, on her way home when an unknown suspect met with her at Roodepan taxi rank in the Kimberley.

“He forcibly took her to an unknown room near the Kimberley train station. The man raped the victim in the room and kept her there until 06:00am the following morning. He then got dressed and left her in the room” lieutenant Sergio Kock said.

Kock said the suspect is dark in complextion, medium built, medium height, and bald, clean shaven.
“The perpetrator allegedly speaks English and police request that anyone with information in this regard please call Detecive Constable Pitso Tau at 082 495 0618” said Kock.

All information will be treated with the strictest of confidence. The investigation continues.-TDN
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